


Magazine Worlds

by killingmonsterswritingthings



Series: Part of Something [2]
Category: Olympics RPF, Snowboarding RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Coming Out, Confessions, Gen, Genderfluid Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-26
Updated: 2014-02-26
Packaged: 2018-01-13 21:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1241593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killingmonsterswritingthings/pseuds/killingmonsterswritingthings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Staale has a secret to tell. Also there's nail polish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Magazine Worlds

**Author's Note:**

> It might be a little early in this fandom to get out these plots but I couldn't resist.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the people in this fanfic, that would be weird. I am in no way affiliated with them, either. This is a work of fiction, written for my own (and hopefully your) amusement and is in no way meant to offend or gain any kind of monetary profit.
> 
> You can read this without having read Whiskey and Butterflies but they're kind of connected, hence the series.

 

It had been a while since they had managed to actually hang out together. The weeks after the Olympics had been a whirlwind of interviews and press and snowboarding and – in Mark's case – healing. His mom had actually made him rest. It had been infuriating, although nice. But after a few days he had had enough and had gotten his physio to lay out the plan to her so she didn't go crazy.

And then they had gotten the offer for the documentary. They were gonna get followed around by cameras for a few days to explore their “group dynamic” – they all had chuckled at that. It really wasn't anything new and it gave them a chance to get together again so of course they accepted.

So now they were sitting in a hotel room – in France of all places – just relaxing before they would start filming tomorrow. Well, Mark was pretty sure relaxing wasn't the only thing they were going to do, but right now that was what  was going on .

Actually, Sage was currently throwing M&Ms that Mark was trying to catch with his mouth while Staale was in the bathroom. So, pretty standard.

Mark looked up at Staale when he came back, which resulted in an M&M hitting him in the temple. A frown formed on his face when he saw the way Staale was worrying his bottom lip. “Something wrong?” Mark asked.

“Uhh, not exactly?” Staale said, stopping short in front of the bed, which only made Mark's frown deepen. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Sure, man,” Sage said, depositing the bag of M&Ms on the bedside table and patting the spot on the mattress between him and Mark. Staale's gaze flickered between them but he crossed the distance between him and the bed after a little hesitation and sat down between them.

“What's up?” Mark asked him, nudging his shoulder slightly. He didn't want to pressure him but it had been Staale who had wanted to talk and now Mark was curious – and kind of nervous.

Staale took a deep breath. “I just want to tell you this because I... I've been finding out a lot over the last year and I just... wanted to tell you so you don't freak out at some point. Provided you don't freak out now,” he babbled.

“Hey, it's fine,” Sage said. “Whatever it is. We're friends, right? You can tell us. We won't... judge, or whatever.”

Staale nodded and Mark could basically see him steeling himself and it worried him. What could possibly be so bad that Staale had to be so nervous about it? Hell, they had seen each other naked, so it couldn't really be about his sexual preferences now, could it.

“I'm genderfluid,” Staale said after a moment of looking at his hands in his lap and Mark let out a relieved sigh.

“That... Staale, that's completely fine,” Mark said.

Sage scratched his head. “Umm... not to be rude. Sorry, but-”, he caught the panicked look Staale shot him and reached out, grasping his hand, “no, I swear, it's okay. Can I ask you a question?”

“Okay,” Staale nodded.

“I don't think I entirely understand the term? Like... is it something like transgender? Are you actually... a girl?”

Mark pulled a grimace but Staale actually smiled – albeit a little shaky. “Well, kind of... but not really, I guess. It means that sometimes I feel like a girl … or woman, whatever. And sometimes I'm a dude. Or in-between, too. Hence the fluid thing.”

“Oh okay,” Sage said.

Staale held up a hand. “I might as well just explain a little more,” he said and Mark was relieved to see him loosen up. “So, on some days I'll  maybe want to wear more traditionally female stuff. Like, dresses and skirts and high-heels. Or I'll feel like doing it but you know, wearing a skirt under snowboard gear is kind of hard. So uhhh... lad ies ' underwear  is cool, too. And I like painting my nails, a lot.”

“Cool,” Mark said. “I like nail polish.”

Staale raised an eyebrow at him and Sage grinned. Then Staale shook his head and continued to talk. “Umm, I'm... you're actually the first people I'm really talking to about this?”

And that was actually surprising to Mark. “You haven't told your parents?”

He shook his head. “I've talked to no one about it, really, except anonymously on the Internet to figure things out.”

“Oh,” Sage said and now Mark took Staale's other hand.

“Thank you,” he said, “for telling us. And for trusting us.”

Staale smiled at him weakly. “Thank you for not freaking out?”

“Of course,” Sage nodded.

“Oh,” Staale suddenly said. “I'd really appreciate it if you could like... call me 'she' when I'm... I don't know, girly? I mean, only when it's just us three and that's a little weird because why would you be talking about me in third person but... just... maybe? Maybe also like in your thoughts? I don't know, this sounds weird.”

“Hey, sure,” Mark said.

Sage also nodded, then he seemed to think of something. “Does this include stuff like bro and dude and man?” he asked.

“Hmm, sometimes, maybe? Like, I've noticed that it bugs me sometimes but not always so I'll just... tell you if it bothers me?”

“Yeah, that sounds fine,” Mark said. “Do you... do you still want to be called Staale or I don't know, do you have a gender neutral name or a name for when you feel female or something?”

Staale shook his head. “No, Staale's fine.”

 

Mark's phone buzzed and he unlocked it to see a message from Craig so he started composing an answer while Sage switched on the TV and went back to munching on the M&Ms.

“Actually... would it bother you if I did my nails right now?”

“Go ahead.”

Staale smile and slid off the bed towards his luggage, returning after a minute with some blue nail polish. He sat back down, crossing his legs and Mark took this opportunity to stretch out, pillowing his head on Staale's left thigh and throwing his legs over Sage's.

He wriggled his nose a little when the fumes of the nail polish started wafting into his nose but for the most part he ignored it in favor of the TV and digging his foot into Sage's shin.

“Hey,” he said after a while, looking up at Staale who was just finishing his left hand. “two questions?”

“Fire away,” Staale said, his tongue poking out between his lips as he concentrated on getting the coat on his pinky just right.

“Are you a girl right now?”

Staale chuckled. “I'm kind of neutral right now. I just really like nail polish, no matter what.”

“Oh. Does that also mean we should use gender neutral pronouns?”

Staale looked up – or rather down – from his nails, at Mark. “I don't know,” he said. “I don't think so? It's still very confusing to me.”

“Okay,” Mark nodded.

“What was your second question?” Staale asked, inspecting his nails a last time and apparently deeming them acceptable.

“Can you do my nails, too?”

Staale's face lit up at that. “Sure! Do you want blue, too?”

Mark thought about it for a second. “Do you have red?” he then asked.

“Yeah. I can get it when my nails are dry.”

“Oh, I can do it. Just tell me where it is,” Mark said. He did however reconsider his statement when he saw Staale's unsure face. “Or not... if you don't want me going through your stuff.”

“Umm... no, it's fine. Just... there's a little bag in my suitcase with nail polish and make-up.” A blush was creeping up his cheeks and Mark smiled encouragingly.

“Cool,” he said. “So, can I get it or do you want to wait?” He'd rather double-check than make Staale even more uncomfortable.

“No no! Go ahead. I was just being stupid.”

Mark sat up, ruffled Staale's hair and then slid off the bed. “Never stupid,” he said. He shuffled over to Staale's suitcase and crouched down in front of it. He spotted the bag Staale had been talking about pretty fast since that probably was where the red nail polish had come fr o m, too, so Staale had apparently just let it lie on top of all his clothes. Mark opened it and rummaged around a little until he found the small bottle of red nail polish. “Got it!” he grinned.

Sage showed him a thumbs-up and Staale laughed as Mark got back to the bed and plopped down Staale. “Are your nails dry yet?”

Staale waved his hands through the air a few times and then looked at his nails. “In a minute, I think. It looks good, but it can be tricky.”

“Okay, I'll wait,” Mark said, resuming his position from earlier.

About ten minutes later Staale deemed it safe to do Mark's nails without ruining his own. So Mark sat opposite to him, obediently holding his hands out and watched with fascination as Staale took his right hand gently into his left and started applying the nail polish with a concentration that Mark had rarely seen on Staale like this. Even Sage scooted closer to watch.

“You're good at this,” he commented and Staale grinned.

“I've been practicing.”

By the time Staale was done with Mark's nails, Sage had dozed off. Mark's eyes wandered from his hands to his bare feet, then he looked at Staale. “Do you think he'd kill us if I painted his toe nails?”

Staale raised an eyebrow. “Go for it, but don't blame me when he whacks you over the head with his board.”

Mark blew on his nails a few times to make sure that they were dry enough to not get fucked up and then grabbed the blue nail polish bottle that was still sitting on the side of the bed. He lay down on his stomach and very carefully started painting Sage's toe nails.

He got three toes in until Sage chuckled. “You guys know that we're filming tomorrow, right?”

“Who cares?” Mark shrugged, focusing very hard on getting enough nail polish on the little toe. “You're not gonna go on the slopes barefoot and we're wearing gloves. Don't be an idiot.”

“Just wanted to say it. Carry on.”

Which was exactly what Mark did.

  
  


When Mark woke up the next morning, Sage was still sleeping and he could hear the shower running in the bathroom which meant that Staale had to be in there. Mark stretched, yawned and sat up, momentarily confused by the flash of red when he looked at his hands. Then he remembered the nail polish and grinned. He shook Sage's shoulder.

“Get up! The sun's out, the day's young, the snow is waiting!”

“Get off meee,” Sage mumbled. “You don't even know if the sun is out uggghhh...”

“I'm gonna sit on you if you don't get up!”

“You're a menace.” Sage rubbed his eyes and turned around, blinking at Mark.

“I know. I'm hungry, let's go get breakfast!”

Mark had decided that showering could wait until tonight and scrambled off the bed to find some clothes.

He was almost finished with getting dressed and Sage had also finally managed to sit up – his hair sticking out in all directions – when the lock on the bathroom door clicked and Staale 's head  appeared in the opening door. “Oh, okay, you're up,”  Staale said. “Umm... don't freak out? I forgot to take pants with me into the bathroom.”

“Are you naked?” Sage asked, still with his voice croaky from sleep and Mark had to laugh.

“Not exactly.”

“Come on out, he's not even really awake yet. There'll be no freaking out involved, I promise,” Mark said. Staale sighed and stepped out of the bathroom with a towel slung tightly around the torso.

“Oh, is today a girl day?” Sage asked.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want us to look away?” Mark asked.

“I... No. I just... I'm wearing panties, okay?” Staale pulled a grimace and walked over to her suitcase.

“It's fine, Staale,” Sage said. “It really is.”

She looked at them, clutching her towel tightly. Then she took a deep breath, turned her back to them and dropped the towel, crouching down to find some jeans in her luggage.

The panties were nothing out of the ordinary. Not see-through, no lace, just black fabric with light blue polka dots.

“Do you wear bras, too?” Sage asked and Mark threw a pillow at him as Staale's shoulders tensed. “Sorry,” Sage hastily added. “Don't answer that... sorry.”

“No, it's alright. I... sometimes, I do. But like, I mean, you two are the only ones who know so I don't really get chances to go out and try and pass as a girl?” Staale mumbled. “I do it at home sometimes but...” She shrugged and finally pulled some jeans out of her suitcase. “There's not really a way to wear a bra under all the gear and be comfortable? I tried it a few times and it's just... weird.”

“You could try a sports-bra?” Mark offered.

“If you take me shopping?” Staale shot back and Mark laughed, glad that Staale could make light of their awkward questions.

“Well, I don't know about shopping but we could go out tonight?” Sage threw in.

Mark rolled his eyes. “You'd have to get out of bed for that.”

“Truly a tragedy. Well, I'm awake now. Help me up?”

“Nah,” Mark said, grinning. Meanwhile Staale had put on a tank top with lace trim and got up, stretching her back, then walking over to the bed to smack Mark over the head and help Sage sit up with an eyeroll.

“There you go, old man.”

“Hey!” Sage complained. “You're like two months older than me...”

“Whatever. You're the one who can't even get out of bed without help.”

“As long as I can still get it up.”

“Shut up, you two,” Mark said. “Get dressed so we can go get breakfast and hit the slopes and get filmed! Yeaahhh!”

“Your enthusiasm at 9 a.m. scares me,” Sage said, getting up nonetheless.

“He's like a puppy,” Staale agreed, pulling a t-shirt on over the top. “Except that puppies are also cute at 9 a.m.”

“You two are horrible, you're fired!”

“From which positions exactly?”

  
  


They eventually made it downstairs for breakfast, glad that they weren't going to be filmed until after they left the hotel because their jokes were getting increasingly inappropriate – and childish. Also they had nail polish on, which Mark didn't really care about that much but it would be a little weird to explain, especially since he didn't want to risk Staale freaking out if they were asked about it.

Getting ready for the slopes then was a little difficult since Mark kept getting distracted and Sage couldn't find his favorite gloves – which was a  bit confusing, as they had only been here for one night. Thankfully Staale found them. Under the bed. Which... even more confusing.

Heading up the mountain, Mark felt the familiar excitement of sun, snow and friends rushing through him and at the top he couldn't get out of the lift fast enough. And yeah, it might be a little wild and fast and not everybody understood it, but he loved the way he got to live his life. And he loved the people he got to live it with.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :) Thanks also go to the amazing [Sammy](http://sammylostshoe.tumblr.com), as usual, for being a kickass beta and discussing gender neutral scenes at length with me.
> 
> Title was inspired by Union J's ["Beautiful Life"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr8ULgq8ws8).  
> And come on, I just had to use that Instagram pic as a cover. Like... really, Staale?
> 
> I've got a [Tumblr](http://mcsandburg.tumblr.com). Come check it out and talk to me!


End file.
